Mistletoe in Manhattan by Talli Roland

Blurb:

As Little Missington's first Christmas baby in fifty years and the daughter of 'Christmas When You Like It' party-planners, Holly West has been surrounded by the holiday spirit since birth. Trouble is, she's not exactly filled with festive cheer. In fact, Holly can't wait to ditch the tinsel and Santa suits for champagne and celebs, and become a party-planner to the stars.

When British film star Dean Layton hires her parents' company to throw his holiday bash in Manhattan, Holly jumps at the chance to help, confident she can handle a little Christmas in exchange for access to Dean's exclusive world.

But New York and Dean's over-the-top demands are more than Holly bargained for. Can Holly deck the halls and make it a party to be proud of, or will this Christmas be one she'll never forget . . . even if she wants to?

My Review:

How many Christmas stories can I read between now and December 25th? I'm definitely already in the Christmas spirit - my husband and I bought our first-ever tree, ornaments and a star for the top. I have a cute reindeer mug that I save for right after Thanksgiving each year, and I'm getting ready to hang up the stocking. Hello, Christmas!



I didn't realize Mistletoe in Manhattan was a novella when I first bought it. Honestly, I don't think I would've purchased it had I known - just not a big novella fan. But now that I read it, I'm SO glad that I did.

This story was just so cute. Christmas is by far my favorite holiday, and reading about Holly planning Christmas parties full of pies, elves, carolers, Santa, ice skating and mistletoe just doesn't get any better than that. Especially as a novella, which you can read in one sitting and then finish even more excited about the upcoming holiday.

I guess my only complaint is that it wasn't long enough! I would've loved for Mistletoe in Manhattan to be a full novel so I can get to know the characters more and spend more time with them and the Christmas spirit. I did just notice on Goodreads that Roland has some other Christmas novellas out that I will definitely be picking up soon.

My Rating:

The Cosy Canal Boat Dream by Christie Barlow

Blurb:

"Welcome to the Little Rock marina – where hearts are healed and dreams are made…

For the last two years Nell Andrews has been struggling to stay afloat. As her life tumbled down around her, the only safety net has been her cosy canal boat, The Nollie. Tucked away inside, Nell has found a place to heal her broken heart. And now she’s ready to move on and follow her dream…

Gorgeous Guy Cornish, with his easy Irish charm, makes him an instant hit with everyone at the marina, and the perfect person to help Nell with her project. But Guy has his own reasons for being at the marina, and a past that threatens to sink Nell’s dream…"

My Review:

I am so confused. I was really excited for this book because it has 4.4 stars on Goodreads. It has great reviews and so many people raved about it. And I really just don't understand why.

The Cosy Canal Boat Dream took me F O R E V E R to get into. Seriously. Every time I started reading it I feel asleep. Or got distracted by something more interesting, which, well, is pretty much anything else.

It's not that I hated it because I didn't. It's just that the writing just wasn't smooth. At all. It didn't flow. There were so many comma splices, choppy sentences and I'm not even joking one time the author wrote the wrong character's name. She meant to write Bea but instead wrote Nell. Or maybe it was the other way around. Or maybe my issue is that 95% of the time I didn't know who was talking.

The dialogue also did not flow. It seemed forced, unnatural and full of cliches. Seriously - "charm her socks off!", "there's more to this than meets the eye!" and "that would be grand!" are just not normal, daily life dialogue.

It's been a while since I found chick lit I couldn't get into. I think that's why I'm so confused. I love chick lit - I eat it up. But Cosy Canal Boat Dream - just no.

I did force myself to finish it. I don't remember the last time I started a book and didn't finish it (probably college - ha). And it was okay. Sorta meh. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone, but I also wouldn't say I completely disliked it.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperImpulse for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

My Rating:

Poison by Galt Niederhoffer

Blurb:

"Poison is a literary psychological thriller about a marriage that follows minor betrayal into a bubbling stew of lies, cruelty, manipulation, and danger.

Cass and Ryan Connor have achieved family nirvana. With three kids between them, a cat and a yard, a home they built and feathered, they seem to have the Modern Family dream. Their family, including Cass' two children from previous relationships, has recently moved to Portland —a new start for their new lives. Cass and Ryan have stable, successful careers, and they are happy. But trouble begins almost imperceptibly. First with small omissions and white lies that happen daily in any marital bedroom. They seem insignificant, but they are quickly followed by a series of denials and feints that mushroom and then cyclone in menace.

With life-or-death stakes and irreversible consequences, Poison is a chilling and irresistible reminder that the closest bond designed to protect and provide for each other and for children can change in a minute."


My Review:

Y’ALL. What. Did. I. Just. Read.

I saw “psychological thriller” in the book description and could not have downloaded it any faster onto my Kindle. I’ve seriously loved thrillers since I was a kid reading R.L. Stine under my covers with a flashlight while my parents thought I was asleep for school the next day#

#somethingsneverchange

So anyway, the book description spoke to me. And I was sucked in. The storyline was so powerful that there were times I seriously doubted Cass’s sanity. And her husband’s. And really everyone’s. I wasn’t sure what was real and what wasn’t or, hell, if I was the one who was crazy. So yes, gripping storyline, well-rounded characters and page-turning events. Galt Niederhoffer, who are you and why have I never heard of you?

There were just two little things that started to annoy me. Sometimes…the…narrator…rambled…and…dragged…things…out. OMG just tell me what is going to happen!! Instead, the narrator would talk about so many details and events and things from the past that I started skipping sentences and paragraphs at a time just to get back to the actual story. Ugh. Annnnnd I think the story would’ve been a little better from Cass’s first-person point of view. That could’ve made the long, rambly (not a word, but shouldn’t it be?) sections more interesting if Cass was talking to us in her voice.


Overall, this book has some mind-blowing moments. Best one I've read this year? No. Do I wish the narrator would hurry the hell up and get to the point? Yes.

I know I truly loved a book when I tell everyone about it. My husband, my mom, my friends, my coworkers - everyone. And I didn't tell everyone about Poison because it wasn't the best thing I've ever read. But, it's a genre I really enjoy, it sucked me in and it provided some twists and shocking moments.


My Rating:

The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena

Blurb:

"You never know what's happening on the other side of the wall.

Your neighbor told you that she didn't want your six-month-old daughter at the dinner party. Nothing personal, she just couldn't stand her crying.

Your husband said it would be fine. After all, you only live next door. You'll have the baby monitor and you'll take it in turns to go back every half hour.

Your daughter was sleeping when you checked on her last. But now, as you race up the stairs in your deathly quiet house, your worst fears are realized. She's gone.

You've never had to call the police before. But now they're in your home, and who knows what they'll find there.

What would you be capable of, when pushed past your limit?"


My Review:

Holy shiiiiiiit. Yes, those are the first two words I’m using in my first ever review on my blog. But you know what - this book deserves it.

Call me clueless, call me gullible, call me whatever you want to call me but I ate this book up. I didn’t see any of the twists and turns coming. I had no idea what happened to Cora. Seriously, I gasped out loud, screamed WTF and read with my mouth wide open in shock pretty much the entire story.

I told my husband the premise when I was about 10 pages in - a couple goes to a dinner party and leaves their baby home alone. Which shouldn’t be too bad, considering they share a wall with the neighbors. Then they come home and the baby is gone. AFter I finished, I tried to recap the whole book to him but it was hard - SO. MUCH. HAPPENED. How do I explain how I feel? How do I explain how Lapena made me love the characters but also want to yell at their stupidity at the same time?

Ugh. So good and highly recommended. I have already told a bunch of friends about it and am going to pass it around for them to read. So good, y’all. It read so fast too - I would look at my phone after reading for what felt like an hour and half my day was gone because I was sucked in and forgot I should be doing something productive with my day. Who am I kidding - reading is productive to me and if you’re reading this then it probably is to you too and you’re the best kind of people.


My Rating: